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Steve Smith admitted that the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground was the toughest he had ever played on at the venue.
Steve Smith found solace in the 5-match series against India, rediscovering his lost form in the longest format of the game. His century in Brisbane came after 18 months since he scored 110 against England at Lord’s. He shone in Melbourne with a 140-run knock, laying the foundation for Australia’s remarkable victory. However, Smith was done by Sydney’s tricky track and was left stranded at 9,999 Test runs when Prasidh Krishan had his number in the second innings.
Speaking of the incident, Smith admitted that the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground was the toughest he had ever played on at the venue.
“I got chainsawed, didn’t I! Pretty nasty delivery actually; back of a length, I thought ‘Oh, there’s one to punch through point’ and it just took off,” the former Australian captain told ‘Triple M’.
“It wasn’t to be (reaching 10k Test runs), but that’s alright we got the result we were after. Absolutely (toughest SCG pitch I’ve played on). By a mile. It was two-paced, up and down, seaming all over the place, swinging. I’ve never played on a wicket like that at the SCG before. It was incredibly difficult to bat,” he added.
Smith made 33 in the first innings and 4 in the second essay, failing to sign off on a high after notching two hundreds in the series.
“I love the game, it’s been a fun series, India are an unbelievable team. There’s been some great challenges, Bumrah in particular. It’s been great fun and fortunate to get the result in the end,” the 35-year-old added.
India lost the series 1-3, after suffering defeats in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney while winning the opener in Perth. Terming it special, veteran spinner Nathan Lyon said, “It has been a long time, there’s only a few of us that have held this trophy before. Special moment, something we’ve all wanted to achieve as a team, especially when you come up against a great side.”
“The boys have been pretty amazing. There were nerves, there’s always nerves when you care, but the boys were fantastic,” Lyon told Fox Cricket.
- Location :
Sydney, Australia